Hawks PG Dejounte Murray 'Grateful' to Spurs Upon San Antonio Return

Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray was overcome with emotion in the wake of his return to San Antonio despite a loss to the Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Atlanta Hawks 126-118 on Sunday night, maintaining a one-game lead over the last place Houston Rockets in the Western Conference. Despite losing a pivotal matchup, Hawks star Dejounte Murray basked in his return to San Antonio.

Murray was traded from San Antonio to Atlanta in the summer of 2022 following an All-Star season under coach Gregg Popovich. He had this to say about his return:

"There were a lot of emotions coming, but more excitement than emotions," Murray said. "I’m not a guy that really cries, so I believe it was closure for sure and getting this game out of the way. We played them at home not too long ago, but that's really different than actually coming to San Antonio and playing. So, it was great to see a bunch of people that I didn't see back in Atlanta. The fans, I'm forever thankful and grateful, because they and the whole San Antonio, well majority of them, believed in me since I got here at 19 years old.”

Murray was a one-and-done out of the University of Washington. In his lone season with the Huskies, he proved to be a Swiss Army knife, averaging 16.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists along with 1.8 steals per game. A 6-5 two-way point guard, Murray did struggle with shooting woes, dialing in only 41.6 percent of his field goals and 28.8 percent of his three-pointers per night. 

The Spurs took a chance on Murray in the 2016 NBA Draft with the No. 29 overall pick. Leading up to this season, Murray never failed to improve his game year-over-year, being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in just his second season and a 2022 All-Star as a six-year veteran.

Murray reached the playoffs in 2017 and 2018 with the Spurs. He also led them to a play-in tournament appearance in 2022. 

Usually an emotional moment for high caliber players and franchise pillars alike, returning to his former team had an impact on Murray. He left his mark in San Antonio and reaped the benefits of a first-class organization.

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